Rural fire leads to discovery of murderous torture. 6 found dead and the suspect is alive and in critical condition.
Reported by Will Gutierrez
A four-alarm fire in rural Pieper County led firefighters and police to a grisly discovery early Saturday morning. Authorities arrived at the Springfield Baptist Church shortly after the fire had spread to a neighboring house. Pastor Richard Meinheit's body was found dismembered and scattered across the lawn between his residence and church. Each member of his family was murdered as well as one other individual. Another individual was rushed to a nearby hospital and authorities are uncertain whether this person is the suspect or another victim.
As the fire was extinguished, firefighters pulled the body of an infant son from a playpen on the main floor of the Meinheit home. Medical examiner, Billy Chatlos, determined that the infant died at least a day before the fire.
The body of another child, a teenage son, was found on the second floor. He had been hog-tied, gagged and chained to a bedpost. The medical examiner determined the teenager died from smoke inhalation.
Meinheit's wife, Janet, and preteen daughter's bodies were found in a ditch down the road. Mrs. Meinheit had been disemboweled at the scene. Both of the daughter's wrists were slit and handcuffed to her mother's corpse.
"It is a real shame that no one found the older children in time, both could have been saved." said Chatlos in a brief press conference.
The body of an unidentified female was pulled from beneath the church floor. Details of her death are being withheld until family members can be notified.
The individual found alive at the scene is in critical condition at Baskins Hospital. Firefighter, Travis Ritter, found the suspect still inside the house.
"I went to check the front door and it was locked. I pulled my axe back to break it open, and as I swung, the door opened. Out pops this hand with a gun in it! It was too late to stop the swing and I severed the hand." Ritter said during the press conference. "The individual slammed the door shut and locked me out again. When I finally broke through, he had fled through the back of the house. Some of the guys were back there extinguishing the fire and saw him flee out the rear. "
When asked if Ritter thought the individual was a suspect, he said, “I’m not sure. You should have seen this kid. He was tore up and it looked like he had been shot by an arrow or something. Maybe he is. We'll just have to wait and see."
In a statement from Pieper County Sheriff Justin Stegemann said that for now, this individual is being treated as the main suspect and that he hopes the young man survives. "Obviously there are a lot of questions this community needs answered. Unfortunately, the answers seem to lie in this person who may not pull through."
Authorities request that anyone with information pertaining to the crime please come forward.
Funeral services for the Meinheit family will be held at Makem & Son's Mortuary on Wednesday, July 16.
